Medvedev: Lawyer’s death won’t affect business

Updated at: 01/26/2013 1:07 PM
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(AP) MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says the death of a whistle-blowing lawyer in prison will not adversely affect the country’s business climate.

His comments came after the U.S. Congress passed a bill that imposes sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian officials connected to the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Hermitage Capital lawyer who died in jail of untreated pancreatitis after accusing Russian officials of stealing $230 million from the state.

The RIA Novosti news agency reported Saturday that Medvedev said businessmen are "uninterested" in the issue and that Magnitsky’s death was being used by some as "political capital."

Medvedev spoke soon after his return from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he promised a more transparent Russian government.